Iron Man 3
The first Iron Man film was a surprise success. Outside of comic book circles, Tony Stark's armored alter ego was a relative unknown so it came as a bit of a shock when newly launched Marvel Studios decided to make him their first big tentpole release. The general public didn't know it at the time, but the studio had an ace up it's sleeve named Robert Downey, Jr. Marvel was looking for it's first big hit and RDJR was looking for a comeback. They each found what they were looking for. RDJR was Tony Stark. He embodied every aspect of the character. The snarky, self-involved playboy who deep down had an actual heart. When I watched the first film, it was like Tony Stark had stepped off the comics page and right onto the big screen. I can't think of a more perfect casting for any comic book film, before or since.
The first Iron Man sequel carried the weight of great expectations. Since, the first film had been a global box office success, the second film was expected to exceed it in every way. It was supposed to be bigger, better, and make more money. It was almost impossible for Iron Man 2 to not buckle under the weight of those expectations.
The second film was more than just a sequel to the first. It was a set up film, of sorts. It introduced the Black Widow, the Avengers Intitiative and what people could expect in this shared Marvel movie universe. The movie was so jampacked and working so hard to service all these different masters that it sort of lost sight of what made the first movie so great.
Iron Man 3 comes on the heels of Marvel's The Avengers, a massively successful film that shattered box office records and sits on number 3 on the list of the most successful movies of all time. It is also the launch of Phase 2, the next era of Marvel movies. So, how did Iron Man 3 fare? Hit the jump to get my take.
Iron Man 3 takes place shortly after the Battle of New York that we saw in The Avengers. Following his near death experience during the battle, Tony is suffering from flashbacks and some post traumatic stress. He has become obsessed with improving his armor, creating new suit after new suit, holed up in his lab, ignoring Stark Industries and Pepper Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow). The last thing that Tony wants is a blast from his past. He gets it in the form of Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall). A botanist that Tony dated and ditched back in his pre-Iron Man days. Hansen has created Extremis, originally intended to help heal, it has been perverted and turned into a weapon by global terrorist the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). Tony is also hit with personal problems as Pepper worries if Tony is more committed to her or to his armor and Stark Industries is threatened by Adrich Killian (Guy Pearce), an inventor that Tony had humiliated in the past.
At the end of The Avengers, Tony is seen riding off with fellow inventor and sometime Hulk, Bruce Banner. Many people wondered if the third film might be a sort of buddy movie featuring the two brilliant but damaged men. This was not to be and I think the movie is the better for it. The reason that the third film succeeds where the second failed is because new to the franchise director, Shane Black, and screenwriter, Drew Pearce, place the focus where it belongs, back on the man in the iron suit. This Robert Downey, Jr.'s show. Downey, Jr. brings new depth to the role and shows us facets of Stark that we haven't seen. We are used to the snarky, cocky bordering on arrogant Stark, but this time around Stark is changed. He is still haunted by his near death experience and is shaken and unsure of himself. Some of the best scenes in the film occur at the halfway point where Stark is rescued by a child, after crash landing in a snowy field. The banter between Stark and the boy is gold, as Stark treats him, not as a child, but as an equal. I said earlier that no other actor could fully embody Tony Stark the way RDJR does and I stand by it. I'm not sure how the franchise will fare if they choose to place a new actor in the armor once RDJR fulfills his contractual obligations to the next two Avengers sequels.
It's not just Downey, Jr. that gets time to shine. Paltrow finally gets more to do than just whine and need to be rescued. She jumps headfirst into the action and really excels. For the first time, I thought to myself, "Maybe she should star in an action movie." It's not just Paltrow, but the rest of the supporting cast really ups their game, including Don Cheadle, once again proving that he was a much better choice than Terrence Howard. The new additions bring their "A" games. Kingsley silences doubters with his take on classic villain The Mandarin and Pearce succeeds where Sam Rockwell floundered in portraying the amoral scientist/businessman, Killian.
A point of contention amongst comic book fans comes because of twist involving the Mandarin that happens in the films third act. You either loved it or hated it and I am firmly in the former camp. I thought it was inspired and directly addressed criticisms that fans had when it was announced that Kingsley would be playing him. Even if you were an Iron Man fan and didn't care for the Mandarin twist, there is a lot of fan service in the third film from the introduction of the Iron Patriot to Advanced Idea Mechanics aka Marvel techno terrorist group, A.I.M.
One of my big complaints with the previous films was that they sort of lacked in action. Iron Man 3 definitely ups the ante in that department as well. There is plenty of action featuring Stark in and out of armor and there are some unexpected characters who get in on the action as well.
The third film gives you everything you'd want in an Iron Man movie. It is smart, funny, and action packed with some unexpected twists and the scene after the credits may be my favorite of any Marvel film so far. If this is indeed the closing chapter in the Iron Man trilogy starring RDJR, it nicely wraps things up and sends its charismatic star out on a high note.
Final Grade: A-
Iron Man 3 is being released on DVD, 3D Blu Ray, and Blu Ray/DVD Combo on September 24th.
The second film was more than just a sequel to the first. It was a set up film, of sorts. It introduced the Black Widow, the Avengers Intitiative and what people could expect in this shared Marvel movie universe. The movie was so jampacked and working so hard to service all these different masters that it sort of lost sight of what made the first movie so great.
Iron Man 3 comes on the heels of Marvel's The Avengers, a massively successful film that shattered box office records and sits on number 3 on the list of the most successful movies of all time. It is also the launch of Phase 2, the next era of Marvel movies. So, how did Iron Man 3 fare? Hit the jump to get my take.
Iron Man 3 takes place shortly after the Battle of New York that we saw in The Avengers. Following his near death experience during the battle, Tony is suffering from flashbacks and some post traumatic stress. He has become obsessed with improving his armor, creating new suit after new suit, holed up in his lab, ignoring Stark Industries and Pepper Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow). The last thing that Tony wants is a blast from his past. He gets it in the form of Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall). A botanist that Tony dated and ditched back in his pre-Iron Man days. Hansen has created Extremis, originally intended to help heal, it has been perverted and turned into a weapon by global terrorist the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). Tony is also hit with personal problems as Pepper worries if Tony is more committed to her or to his armor and Stark Industries is threatened by Adrich Killian (Guy Pearce), an inventor that Tony had humiliated in the past.
At the end of The Avengers, Tony is seen riding off with fellow inventor and sometime Hulk, Bruce Banner. Many people wondered if the third film might be a sort of buddy movie featuring the two brilliant but damaged men. This was not to be and I think the movie is the better for it. The reason that the third film succeeds where the second failed is because new to the franchise director, Shane Black, and screenwriter, Drew Pearce, place the focus where it belongs, back on the man in the iron suit. This Robert Downey, Jr.'s show. Downey, Jr. brings new depth to the role and shows us facets of Stark that we haven't seen. We are used to the snarky, cocky bordering on arrogant Stark, but this time around Stark is changed. He is still haunted by his near death experience and is shaken and unsure of himself. Some of the best scenes in the film occur at the halfway point where Stark is rescued by a child, after crash landing in a snowy field. The banter between Stark and the boy is gold, as Stark treats him, not as a child, but as an equal. I said earlier that no other actor could fully embody Tony Stark the way RDJR does and I stand by it. I'm not sure how the franchise will fare if they choose to place a new actor in the armor once RDJR fulfills his contractual obligations to the next two Avengers sequels.
It's not just Downey, Jr. that gets time to shine. Paltrow finally gets more to do than just whine and need to be rescued. She jumps headfirst into the action and really excels. For the first time, I thought to myself, "Maybe she should star in an action movie." It's not just Paltrow, but the rest of the supporting cast really ups their game, including Don Cheadle, once again proving that he was a much better choice than Terrence Howard. The new additions bring their "A" games. Kingsley silences doubters with his take on classic villain The Mandarin and Pearce succeeds where Sam Rockwell floundered in portraying the amoral scientist/businessman, Killian.
A point of contention amongst comic book fans comes because of twist involving the Mandarin that happens in the films third act. You either loved it or hated it and I am firmly in the former camp. I thought it was inspired and directly addressed criticisms that fans had when it was announced that Kingsley would be playing him. Even if you were an Iron Man fan and didn't care for the Mandarin twist, there is a lot of fan service in the third film from the introduction of the Iron Patriot to Advanced Idea Mechanics aka Marvel techno terrorist group, A.I.M.
One of my big complaints with the previous films was that they sort of lacked in action. Iron Man 3 definitely ups the ante in that department as well. There is plenty of action featuring Stark in and out of armor and there are some unexpected characters who get in on the action as well.
The third film gives you everything you'd want in an Iron Man movie. It is smart, funny, and action packed with some unexpected twists and the scene after the credits may be my favorite of any Marvel film so far. If this is indeed the closing chapter in the Iron Man trilogy starring RDJR, it nicely wraps things up and sends its charismatic star out on a high note.
Final Grade: A-
Iron Man 3 is being released on DVD, 3D Blu Ray, and Blu Ray/DVD Combo on September 24th.
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